This may sound wierd but I feed my dog on my kitchen table. I was able to train him to stand on hi back legs and eat with his front paws on the table. I don't feed him like this all the time but it is a cute trick when we have company over. It really freaks out our guests to see a 130# great dane eating with them on the table.

lol! i can imagine the site of a great dane eating at the table. I like to feed Codi, my 6 month husky from the table, but the vet always and i mean always has an issue with this. He says it teaches the dogs bad manners and it spoils them and they dont want to eat their food. I know Codi pulls that trick of not wanting to eat his dog food.

Iky, I use the act of sharing my food to reinforce bonding and position with the dogs. They learn that I will share the last bite, but nothing before, so they are resigned to not begging (Kharma's in the process of learning - that face! LOL). The food comes from me, it's a special treat, and they have to wait until I am finished. Just like an alpha in a feral community.

I guess Buddy doesn't get the table food in order to make sure his system doesn't get chemically out of whack? How's he doing?

I feed my dogs table scraps after the dishes have been cleared and I'm cleaning up. They totally understand this process and hang out in the kitchen waiting for it. I think its not right to feed them at the table.

I also give my puppy some leftovers from my meal after I am finished with it. I used to give it to her while I was eating, and it turned into a nightmare, because in her dog mind jumping on me and asking for food as a normal thingy! Now ( after some rehabilitation time!!!) she is pationetely sitting and waiting while I am done... no jumping, no drooling... well.. maybe a little, but not all over me at least !!!

I agree that it's best to give your dogs treats after you are finished eating (I'm guilty of it everyday!) but I do want to mention some potential problems that could come from feeding a dog on your kitchen table. By allowing your dog to be at the table eating level with you, you could really be confusing the dog and creating a potentially dangerous situation. I'm not sure how old your dane is and what other sort of rules, limits and training he has, but allowing him to get away with human priveledges could cause him to test his place in your "pack" so to speak. He may be fine now, but there could come a day when he could challenge you for the spot of alpha. As an example, I took in a dog from a woman who had raised him from 8 weeks to 2 years. She cooked for him and he had his own seat at the table. Of course it was cute when it was younger, but as he matured and hormones came into play, he started to challenge her. This dog really had no limits. He was allowed on the furniture, allowed in the bed, fed whatever she ate, etc. Well, at 2 years old he started growling at her if he didn't get his way and eventually it led to nipping. She became so frightened of the dog, that she could no longer keep him. I took him in and took him back to basics. Strict obedience and very clear rules and guidelines. I make him sit or lay down and wait for his dog food. I can take his bowl away from him while he eats (toys also) He is not allowed on the furniture (he has his own dog bed) , etc... It took about 6 months of consistant training to really get him pointed in the right direction. I still would not place him with someone who wasn't knowledgable about dog behavior, but he is a pretty good dog overall. He just needed to learn where he stood in the pack. If he had stayed in the situation he was he may have seriously injured someone. Again, I don't know your entire situation, but felt it was important to mention the potential risks of allowing your dog to be equal to you.

Carrie, I'm so glad you mentioned that about taking the food dish away when the dog is eating. It is so important to be able to interfere with your dog's eating at any time. You should also be able to take food (or anything else) directly out of your dog's mouth.

It hysterical to see the look on someone's face if they see me fishing around in a Fila's maw to find what's been picked up that shouldn't be in there. My hand literally disappears in there sometimes!

Eh, my dogs get whatever veggies are left over from our meal, I mash them up and feed it to them.. On a rare occasion Ripley or Dakota will get a piece of cooked food from the table if they are behaving well.